POLICE: Vehicle rolled, driver charged

Provincial police in Leeds County arrested a Rideau Lakes woman following a single-vehicle crash on Saturday afternoon.

Officers responded to a rollover on County Road 42, in the former township of Bastard-South Burgess. The female driver was transported by ambulance to hospital but did not suffer any injuries, according to the OPP.

Codie Hicks, 23, was charged with impaired driving and driving while exceeding the legal blood alcohol limit. She is scheduled to appear in Brockville court on June 14.

Drive Safe campaign

The Gananoque Police Service has joined police forces across Ontario in the 2019 Drive Safe! Campaign, town police announced Tuesday.

The theme of this year’s provincewide initiative, supported by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, is: “Distracted Driving Ruins Lives. Drive Safe.”

The 2019 Drive Safe! (#DriveSafe) campaign features a booklet with information designed to make motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians more aware of what distracted driving is, the consequences of driving while distracted, and tips on how to avoid being distracted while on the road.

“Our roads and highways are among the safest in North America. But distracted driving is one of the leading causes of collisions, injuries, and deaths on our roadways,” said Gananoque Police Chief Garry Hull.

“Every day, people get behind the wheel and selfishly take their attention away from the road. That includes reading, eating, using their phone and GPS. We are proud to continue the fight along with our police partners across Ontario to save lives on our roads.”

Research has shown that distracted drivers are three times more likely to be in a crash than attentive drivers. Eighty per cent of collisions and 65 per cent of near crashes have some form of driver inattention as contributing factors, said police.